Ball joint flip. Effects on Geometry?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,486
Likes: 10
From: Big Pine Key FL
Ball joint flip. Effects on Geometry?
Ok you suspension guru's as I am preping my Tubular A-Arms for instalation I was looking at the upper ball joints. I remember reading that 3/8-5/8 longer upper ball joint shafts had a positive effect on steering geometry.
If I assemble the ball joint under the A-Arm I get 600 thou more length in the upper ball joint shaft.
My back yard logic says that I get less camber change per unit of wheel travel. Havin the effect of a longer upper a-arm
Correct?
Is this a good thing, bad thing, matter of preference, or irrelevant in regards to a car that will see the 1/8 mile drag strip, some solo action, and the occasional road trip?
If I assemble the ball joint under the A-Arm I get 600 thou more length in the upper ball joint shaft.
My back yard logic says that I get less camber change per unit of wheel travel. Havin the effect of a longer upper a-arm
Correct?
Is this a good thing, bad thing, matter of preference, or irrelevant in regards to a car that will see the 1/8 mile drag strip, some solo action, and the occasional road trip?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 3,053
Likes: 4
St. Jude Donor '03,'11
Originally Posted by 84rzv500r
If I assemble the ball joint under the A-Arm I get 600 thou more length in the upper ball joint shaft.
The ball joint extenders add an inch or 2. I don't trust them for racing though.
Drifting
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 1,634
Likes: 2
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the World
No,
the important part of the ball joint is the centre of the ball. you need to raise that up higher to get the effect.
If you just leave the ball joint in the same position and raise the A arm, there is no change in the geometry, the effective A arm is the same. You will get more suspension travel before you hit the bump stops.
the important part of the ball joint is the centre of the ball. you need to raise that up higher to get the effect.
If you just leave the ball joint in the same position and raise the A arm, there is no change in the geometry, the effective A arm is the same. You will get more suspension travel before you hit the bump stops.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 16,945
Likes: 9
exactly, it doesn't matter how many angles you have in the arm, the lie between cross shaft and ball joint pivot center is what determines the effective geometry of the control arm. The only difference w/ the ball joint mounting location is that the arm will be shorter because it angles more however with the tiny amoutn of spacing involved with flipping the ball joint this result is very small.The only way to do it is extend the spindle or use a taller studded balljoint.
Another way would be to flip the lower ball joint and have a dropped spindle at the same time. This however would require welding up, redrilling and reaming the lower hole the other way around and changes to the steering geometry because of the new steering arm position. You would also need longer lwoer arms because they are effectivly shorter in the horiz. plane being angled down more.
